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Wednesday, 02 November 2011

Today, I want to
tell you about the opposite – a fit guy who is deliberately making himself
fat. Since May, Drew Manning has gained about 70 pounds on purpose.
And he’s not done yet.

Drew is a
personal trainer and has always been the “fit guy.” He’s now on a journey he
calls Fit 2 Fat 2 Fit where he spends six months (he has about
4 weeks left) eating unhealthy food and not exercising, then he will take
six more months to get fit again. Why? To experience for himself what it’s like
to be overweight, how tough it is to lose weight, and ultimately show others
how to get fit. But this is sooo extreme! And I hate that Drew is
deliberately making himself unhealthy. I asked him all about it…

FatFighterTV: As
someone who has always been fit, how can you stand doing this to yourself?

Drew
Manning: It’s been very tough physically, mentally and emotionally to let
myself go like this. The first couple of months were the hardest. I felt like I
was going through withdrawals, just like any other addiction. I was jealous
seeing people running, going to the gym, and being in shape.

FFTV: Are
you concerned about your health?

DM: Yes,
definitely. With a BP reading of 161/113 you can’t NOT be concerned. I haven’t
felt in danger yet, but I still have 4 weeks left to go. People tell me
all the time to stop now, but I look at it like this…..if others can live years
with these unhealthy risk factors, like high BP, glucose levels, cholesterol
levels, triglycerides, etc. then I can last another 4 weeks. Plus I want to
show people how living a healthy lifestyle can change all of those risk
factors.

FFTV: Are
you enjoying eating all those unhealthy foods?

DM: Yes and
no. To some extent, all of these foods that I’m eating (sugary cereals, granola
bars, juices, white breads, white pastas, sodas, crackers, chips, frozen
dinners, mac n cheese, etc.) taste delicious. But then I feel like crap later
on and I get hungry again and crave those same foods.

FFTV: You’ve
gained about 70 pounds now since May – how do you feel?

DM: I’m to
the point where I feel lethargic and uncomfortable. I definitely feel
“addicted” to these foods. In the beginning, I did not like soda, but now I
can’t go a day without, otherwise I’ll get the headaches, bad mood, etc.
Emotionally, it’s taken a toll on my confidence level, even in my marriage. I
don’t like the way I look in public; nothing fits right; bending over to tie my
shoes or clip my toe nails has become so difficult. I’ve definitely taken those
things for granted.

FFTV: You
mentioned that you want to gain an understanding of how hard it is to be overweight
– what have you learned so far?

DM: I think
the biggest thing I’ve learned is how intense and how real these food cravings
are. I think a lot of people associate the word “addiction” with drugs
and alcohol, but I do believe this addiction (to America’s processed foods) is
real and very similar. I know I’ll never know exactly what it’s like for every
person that’s overweight and I don’t claim to, but at least I understand better
than I did before when I never had to struggle with this. I hope to learn a lot
more in the second half of my journey, from fat 2 fit.

A unique method of research and hopefully it will yield some beneficial results. At the same time, I can't help but feel that he's inadvertently sending a mixed message; that it's okay to procrastinate about health and fitness concerns. Especially as it pertains to a population that already demonstrates a reluctance to face these concerns.

Yeah, I mean so many people teach and tell people how to do something without ever having any true experience. The fact that he is engaging in this experiment will allow him to help people in a way that was not possible before because he will now have first hand experience of what overweight people have experienced and go through. It creates a relationship between him and them which otherwise would not have been possible. When people know that you have been where they are are, well, that is invaluable.

I actually commend him for doing this. Now he can experience how hard it is for people to loose weight. It is never as simple as naturally thin people make it out to be. You have to drop the unhealthy habits, maintain good ones and most times face what caused you to be overweight in the first place which is often difficult